


Silly Little Project

by TriDogMom



Series: Silly Little Project [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arithmancy (Harry Potter), But not between main ship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Kinks, Love Letters, Marriage Law Challenge, Rituals, Sexual Assault, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Roleplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:41:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29221128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriDogMom/pseuds/TriDogMom
Summary: Hermione and Draco create a silly project in Arithmancy that changes the course of their lives.*Lumione Marriage Law story*
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy
Series: Silly Little Project [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989463
Comments: 283
Kudos: 296





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my loves! Welcome to my new story! It's 62k, fully written and will update on Fridays.
> 
> _This is a Hermione x Lucius marriage law, even though we don't see Lucius until chapter 4. This is the main story in the Silly Little Project universe_
> 
> _As always, triggering content will be tagged at the beginning of chapters, they'll be flagged and a summary given so anyone can skip over them and still enjoy the story._

**Hogwarts September 1998**

"Come on, Hermione," Draco whined. They were supposed to be coming up with their Arithmancy project for the term, but Draco wouldn't focus. "We're perfect for each other."

"We would kill each other, Draco," Hermione said, with a huff of laughter. "And you know it. You and I dating is a bad idea."

"No, we wouldn't. We're both smart, sexy, and can bond over the fact that our two best friends growing up were brainless trolls."

"Crabbe and Goyle _were_ trolls; Harry and Ron were both smart, they just didn't apply themselves." Hermione paused, pain ripping through her as she thought about Ron. "And don't talk ill of the dead; it's rude."

Ron had died in the final battle, not far from where Draco and Hermione were sitting now. No one had expected the wall beside them to be blasted apart just minutes after Percy bested the Minister. Ron had thrown himself in front of Fred, saving his brother's life, but losing his own in the process. Harry had almost given up at that moment. It took all of Hermione's power to get him to keep fighting.

The two of them had then headed to the Shrieking Shack and watched in horror as Nagini attacked Snape. Overcome with all the death he had seen, Harry begged Hermione to save their hated Professor. Shoving a bezoar down his throat along with three vials of blood replenishing potion, Hermione had used a spell designed to remove rattlesnake venom on his neck. Once he was stable enough, she ignored his glares as she searched his pockets for any potions that might help. Finding anti-venom, Dittany, and a general healing potion, she forced him to drink them. Slipping him Dreamless Sleep to allow him to recover, she and Harry had levitated him back to Hogwarts before hiding his body in a room off the Great Hall. When the battle was over, Hermione grabbed a nearby Healer and Snape was taken to St Mungo's where he spent the next week recovering.

When everything settled, Harry had accepted Kingsley's offer to skip N.E.W.T's and head right into Auror training, while Hermione had decided she wanted to finish her formal education when Hogwarts re-opened. They spent the summer helping to rebuild the castle, attending too many funerals, fixing up Grimmauld Place, and testifying in a few trials. Hermione's favourite trial had been the one where Dolores _Toad-Faced Bitch_ Umbridge was sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Looking back to Draco, Hermione remembered it was that same day that Harry and Hermione were called to testify in the trials for Lucius and Draco Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy had been killed in the Final Battle. As soon as Bellatrix Lestrange realised her sister had lied to the Dark Lord, she had turned to her sister, spit in her face, and cast the Killing Curse. She remembered Mr Malfoy and his son had looked terrible and Hermione felt a stab of pity for them, even now. There was no love lost between herself and Draco, but she still remembered the look of horror on his face as his aunt had Crucio'd her in his house.

Six long hours later, Draco was cleared of all charges due to his age and the fact that the only crimes he was guilty of had already been pardoned by the previous Minister. The court did require that he return to Hogwarts to repeat his final year and placed monitoring charms on his wand. Lucius Malfoy was also cleared of all charges due to the same technicality While Pius Thicknesse was Imperioused, he had issued a blanket pardon to every Death Eater the previous September. Since Lucius was stripped of his wand in July, he had not committed any crimes after the fact. Hermione and Harry had listened in horror as both Draco and Lucius, under Veritaserum, recounted the hell that Malfoy Manor had become while Voldemort and Bellatrix lived there.

The Wizengamot had wanted him to serve time for identifying Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they were captured and taken to the Manor. However, Lucius fought his way out of a stint in Azkaban by offering up information on all Death Eaters, Snatchers, and Ministry officials that had taken bribes over the last three years. The court accepted his offer, placed a Dark Magic monitoring spell on his wand, and ordered him to attend 'Muggle Tolerance' classes for six months.

Hermione recalled her surprise as Draco approached her on the Hogwarts Express the day they returned to school. She was alone in a carriage and he had asked to join her before spending the next half hour apologising to her for everything he had ever said to and about her. She told him she would only accept his apology if he wrote Harry and apologised to him as well. As they watched Draco's eagle owl fly out the window, the two new friends had smiled at each other before launching into a long discussion on their upcoming year. They were taking the same classes and Draco asked right away if they could pair up in Arithmancy since his previous partner, Blaise, was not returning. And here they were two weeks later working together, well trying to.

"Sorry," Draco said, not sounding all that sorry. "But I still think we would be perfect together."

"Okay, Draco," Hermione replied. She had learned over the years that sometimes it was easier to just go along with what boys said then try to fight against it. If Draco wasn't going to drop it, maybe she could use it to her advantage. "How about for our Arithmancy project this term, we come up with an equation that will show us how compatible we are. If it confirms that we are _perfect_ for each other like you think, I'll let you take me on a date over the Christmas Hols."

"Christmas? But it's still the middle of September! What am I supposed to do until then?"

"Use all your pent up frustration on completing the equation faster?"

"If we get it done sooner, we could go to Hogsmeade together, Halloween weekend?"

"Fine, if it proves you right before Halloween, we can go together. If it doesn't, you have to come with me to Muggle London and go to the cinema."

"I have no idea what that is, but deal."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Draco and Hermione, after receiving the go ahead on their project from Professor Vector, started right away. Draco had become almost obsessive about it and Hermione was pleased to see that he was a lot like her when excited about a project. He was wicked smart, organised, and methodical and Hermione found it refreshing that she didn't have to carry the entire workload. Any free time they had, they were either in the Library or, weather permitting, by the lake working. By the beginning of October they had a semi-working equation.

Not many of the classmates from their year had returned, but thankfully Dean Thomas had, wanting to get the necessary N.E.W.T.s to enter the Healer training programme. Hermione asked if they could use him as a guinea pig for their project since he was happily dating Seamus Finnegan and they _were_ perfect for each other. Dean had agreed and together, Draco and Dean watched as Hermione entered the raw data she thought they would need. After a half hour, she grew frustrated as the equation wouldn't balance.

"There's got to be something that I'm missing!" Hermione growled, running her hands through her hair. "Are you sure you gave me the correct information?"

"As correct as I could," Dean said. "My mum doesn't know a lot about my dad just that his name was James Thomas. He was planning on moving in with her just after they found out she was pregnant. He left to get his belongings. She never saw him again but received a letter from a solicitor a few days later saying he'd died and a cheque was enclosed from life insurance. I could be half-blood, I guess."

Hermione and Draco were using a form of magical DNA — for lack of a better word — when running the numbers. Their equation required they input the age, blood status, and gender of two people along with a few other physical characteristics and familial traits. Changing Dean's information to include a halfblood father and Muggle mother, Hermione ran the equation again.

"Something is still off," Draco pointed out. "Try a pureblood father."

"Don't Wizards have tests that can determine parentage?" Hermione asked, looking at Draco.

"Why would I know?"

"Because, your family seems like the type that would want a way to prove if a witch is lying when she claims to have birthed an heir."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "That sounds like us. I'll owl my father."

They parted ways with Dean after that, thanking him for his time and confirming they would regroup when his parentage could be confirmed.

Draco heard back from Lucius the next morning. He told him that there was a potion that could be brewed and that he had already contacted Professor Snape to arrange for the ingredients to be delivered to the Potion Master. Snape had returned to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year but had turned down the Headmaster position in favour of returning to his post as Potion's Professor. However, he did accept Headmistress McGonagall's offer of Deputy Headmaster. At the Welcoming Feast, he had given a long speech regarding his role in the war and apologised to the student body for the horrors they had been put through while under his care.

Hermione knew there was still a lot of hate towards him, but could see that every day it seemed to lessen. Whilst still a caustic man, Professor Snape had mellowed out now that he wasn't serving two masters and no longer had to pretend to hate every student that wasn't in Slytherin. He was still short tempered with 'idiot children' and Hermione didn't think that would ever change. It had taken Draco explaining to her what pureblood parents were like for her to understand that during the years Voldemort was in Albania, Snape was still expected to act a certain way by his followers. This was especially true since Dumbledore knew Voldemort would return. Now that Harry had outed him, Snape was free to help the students with the most promise, regardless of House affiliation.

Hermione and Snape had begun a sort of friendship after she had saved his life. They had met a few times over the summer to discuss the technique she had used to save him. He had even given her a few books to read before the start of term to bring her up to speed on what N.E.W.T. level potions would require. Once school had recommenced, Draco had joined them for tea the second week back and Snape had spent the afternoon telling Hermoine stories about his godson as a young child. As they walked to Snape's office, Hermione remembered her tears of laughter and Draco's embarrassment reddening his face.

Having knocked upon Snape's office door, Hermione and Draco waited, knowing Snape would not appreciate it if they burst into his office. "Enter," Snape's voice carried through the closed door.

"Hello, Professor," Hermione greeted him as she walked to stand before his desk.

"Hello, Uncle," Draco called, sitting in one of the chairs across from Snape without waiting for an invitation.

"Miss Granger, please have a seat. I'm glad the manners your parents taught you seemed to have stuck more than they did with my godson." Snape sneered at Draco as the blond smirked.

"Manners don't matter when you're with family," Draco said.

"Watch your cheek, _nephew._ Or I'll put your over my knee and paddle your arse like I did when you were seven. I'm sure you remember that."

"Uncle…" Draco whined as Hermione broke into laughter.

"Please," Hermione said, hiccupping. "Keep being mouthy, Malfoy. I would _love_ to see that."

"If you two are quite finished," Snape interrupted. "Did you need me or did you just come to annoy me?"

"Father said he wrote to you about a potion we need," Draco began. "Do you have the supplies we require?"

"Lucius reached out to me. In order to avoid your presence any more than necessary, I have brewed it for you." Snape waved his hand and a small chest the size of a jewellery case floated into Hermione's lap. "Add a piece of the person's hair to this. Once the potion turns black, have that person dip their quill into it. The quill will write out the parental information for them."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, standing. "We really appreciate your help."

"Yes," Draco agreed. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Yes, yes," Snape said, standing and ushering them to the door. "Go bother someone else."

Hermione smiled at Snape and turned, making a mental note to place an order with Honeydukes to have a few of his favourite sweets delivered in tomorrow's post. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Snape had a weakness for Liquorice Wands.

Making their way to the library, Hermione and Draco found Dean at his normal table. They explained the process before Hermione pulled a bobby pin from her hair and transfigured it into scissors and cut a small amount of hair from Dean's head. Placing it into the vial, they waited for it to turn black. Grabbing a fresh piece of parchment, Dean dipped his quill into the potion before hovering it a few inches from the paper. He took a deep breath and seemed to steady himself before touching the quill to the parchment. They watched in silence as the quill moved on its own before falling to the table.

> Dean James Thomas
> 
> Blood Status: Pureblood
> 
> Mother: Elizabeth Marie Church
> 
> Blood Status: Pureblood, (Squib)
> 
> Father: Tommaso Giacomo Zabini
> 
> Blood Status: Pureblood

"Merlin's saggy arse cheeks," Draco exhaled.

"Zabini?" Dean asked, dumbfounded. "Like Blaise?"

"Tommaso was Blaise's father. He died when Blaise's mother was six or seven months pregnant with him. I guess we know why his mother… well, you know her reputation. She must have found out about your mum and then…"

Hermione thought Draco was a little insensitive to bring up the fact that Blaise's mother probably killed his and Dean's father, but Dean didn't seem to mind. She figured it was because he had no emotional attachment to the man.

"Zabini is my _brother_?" His face was blank with shock, his eyes darting from Hermione to Draco, to the paper before him.

"Would you like us to give you some time?" Hermione asked, placing her hand on Dean's shoulder.

"I'm fine, just surprised." Dean looked at the paper again. "And my mum is a pureblood Squib? How did she not know?"

"A lot of pureblood families test their children for magic as soon as they're born," Draco explained. "Your grandparents probably checked then gave her up for adoption right away so she didn't know about the wizarding world. I assume they modified the memories of whoever raised her since your mother doesn't know she's adopted."

"Are Squibs a common occurrence?"

"No. They are very rare. Rarer than Muggleborns."

"Do you…" Dean cleared his throat. "Do you think Zabi— Blaise would be open to hearing from me?"

"I do," Draco answered quickly. "Blaise is a cool guy. I think he would be really happy to hear he has a brother."

"Cool. And now you can do your experiment?"

"Yes," Hermione said excitedly, before back peddling and realising now might not be a great time for Dean given their discovery. "If you still want us to. I know you probably have a lot to think about."

"I do," Dean replied, his hand rubbing the stubble across his chin, "but I also want to find out about me and Seamus."

Hermione took out a fresh piece of parchment and started the calculations. She already had all of Seamus' information calculated and added them into Dean's new numbers. Looking at the sheet in front of her, Hermione tilted her head. The equation balanced but something still seemed off. Going back, Hermione added another calculation to include the man's sexuality. Bisexual for Dean, and gay for Seamus. Running the numbers again, Hermione fiddled with them, adding information and taking some out. After an hour, Hermione grinned as the equation finally balanced.

"Just as we suspected; you two are a wonderful match," Hermione said, passing the sheet to Dean for inspection.

"I'll take your word for it." Dean laughed. "I have no idea what I'm looking at."

Hermione let Draco explain some of the basics to Dean as she grabbed the notebook containing their work and made a note that sexuality had to be taken into consideration when calculating matches. The blood status of the parents didn't matter like she thought they would. It was all about the person's classification. She made a few notes of things she wanted to try in the next few days. She had a feeling that they would be able to calculate how magically powerful children born to a matched couple would be. If she could get information on Draco and Ginny's parents she would be able to test if it worked.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY FRIDAY! I really wanted to show the process of Draco and Hermione figuring out the equation, especially how it ties into the next chapter. Hopefully, you found it interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't believe you," Hermione said, pulling Draco's parchment towards her.

They were in the back of Arithmancy working on their project like normal. It was a few days before Halloween and Hermione had finally agreed to let Draco run the numbers for their own names. They had purposely held off doing it, wanting to make sure they worked out as many of the kinks as they could. Hermione looked over the equation, and while it balanced, it wasn't as exact as Dean and Seamus' had been.

"Look at the numbers, Granger." Draco pointed to the bottom of the page. "We're almost perfect for each other."

"While I admit that our numbers are promising, I feel like they could be better. It's almost as if you're a close match but not _my_ match." Hermione pointed to an area of the parchment where their names went but it had more numbers than she expected. "What is this? Did you change something?"

"Oh, yeah." Draco went into an explanation of how their matches didn't come close to balancing until he decided to try adding their middle names. "And then I changed the birthday information. I took out the year and our age and just put in the month and day. Once I did that, the equation balanced."

"The _equation_ didn't balance, Malfoy. You changed the information until you got the answer you desired with half of our real information. Arithmancy is logic free from outside emotions. Or did you forget that part of the speech from third year?"

"I remember. But it still shows that we're a good match."

"Now that you've fiddled with it," Hermione said, teasing him. "What is your middle name by the way?"

"Lucius," Draco answered. "Malfoy heirs always take their father's name as their middle. Why?"

"And your dad's birthday?"

"Fifth of June, same as mine." Draco looked at her. "Why are you asking?"

"I just…" Hermione trailed off. She had a feeling in her gut but she hoped she was wrong. "Give me a minute."

Twenty minutes later, Hermione stared at the parchment dumbfounded. There it was, even more perfectly balanced than Dean and Seamus. Actually, it was _perfectly_ balanced. But there was no way that was possible.

Because that would mean the best match for her was Lucius Malfoy.

"You… you… and Father…?" Draco was sputtering beside her, obviously reading the parchment the same way she was. "But… you… and…"

"Holy shit on a shingle," Hermione finally choked out. "Look at our children."

"Merlin. Your children would be beyond powerful."

Draco had been the one to work out the equation to determine how magically strong the children of a match would be. When they ran the test for Draco's parents, it had shown a low match for them, but a magically strong child. When they ran it for the Weasleys, Molly and Arthur had been a perfect match with a few of the children more powerful than the others, but all above average.

When Hermione had updated her friends on the project, Ginny had asked her to run it for her and Harry even though they had decided not to rekindle their relationship. Hermione hadn't wanted to. She didn't want her friends relying on Arithmancy to match them; she wanted them to meet and fall in love. But, she ran the numbers with the promise that Ginny wouldn't ask her again. The results had shown that they were a moderate match but their children would be below average magically, with one of three being a Squib. Hermione had been afraid of hurting Ginny when she showed her, but Ginny took it in stride. ' _That makes it easier actually. I kept wondering what would happen if we got back together. Now I know and can move on.'_

"But, he's your dad?" Hermione said, the statement coming out as a question.

"I know he's my father, Granger," Draco replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that you're perfect for each other."

"How is your project coming?" Professor Vector asked, interrupting them.

"We are making a lot of progress," Draco piped up since Hermione was still too shocked to answer coherently. "We have been able to determine the strength of a match between two people and the magical power of any future children."

"Really? Do you have any examples?"

"Yeah, hold on." Draco rummaged in his bag before pulling out the folder with their findings on his family and the Weasleys. "Here are my parents. You can see they weren't a strong match, but I'm powerful and handsome."

"Mr Malfoy, I see nothing about the quality of your looks on this paper."

"That was just a personal observation, Professor." Draco winked at her and Professor Vector laughed in return. "And here are the Weasleys. You have taught some of their children so you should be able to judge for yourself if our calculations are correct."

Professor Vector's eyes scanned the paper before a thought seemed to strike her and her eyes went wide. Finally recovering, she looked up at them. Hermione wanted to know what was running through the Professor's head, but no further indication was given.

"This is wonderful work you two," their teacher finally said. "Do you mind if I test this out on a few couples I know?"

"Sure," Hermione said, her voice coming out squeaky as she worked to comprehend her own match. "No problem."

"Thank you. You two are a wonderful team. I think the Arithmancy community would be lucky to have you both if you decided to pursue it after graduation."

They watched her walk away and then Draco turned back to Hermione. "So, what are you going to do about my father?"

"Nothing," Hermione said plainly.

Lucius Malfoy may be a great match for her, perfect actually, but that didn't change the fact that he was a Death Eater by choice. His age didn't bother Hermione; she had always liked older men. But he had been a widower for less than six months and, even if she wanted to date him, she was still in school. Plus, what was the point in even talking to someone that thought she was filth?

"You know," Draco began as if reading her thoughts, "Father doesn't feel the same way about Muggles and Muggleborns as he used to. He has been attending the Ministry assigned classes and venturing out into the Muggle world more than required."

"Are you encouraging me to date your dad? We're the same age, Malfoy."

"You're almost a year older than me, and that's just physically. Mentally you've been forty since the day we met."

"He's still your dad. And your mum hasn't even been gone for six months."

"Don't get me wrong," Draco said, his face sad. "I miss my mother. But her and Father weren't in love and hadn't been for a long time. They were more like roommates. Mother slept in her own rooms my entire life. And yes, Lucius is my father, but as long as he's happy, I don't care if it's with someone my age or someone that's ninety years old.

"Plus, most of us live to be a hundred and fifty. What's a twenty-five years difference when you're that old? And both of you are smart and driven. I think it would be good for Father to have someone that will challenge him when he's being a thickhead instead of letting him do what he wants."

"So you think I should, what?" Hermione asked. "Invite him to meet me at Madam Puddifoot's for tea and a shag this weekend?"

"As funny as that would be, I think you should open your mind to the idea that you two could work. Then maybe you could meet the new Lucius Malfoy over Christmas and get to know each other."

Hermione didn't know what to think. She felt like she'd been hit with the Knight Bus and was still trying to put her head on straight. Lucius Malfoy was a perfect match for her and Draco thought she should go for it? Times like these, she wished she could call her mum and talk to her about this. There was always Harry, but she was pretty sure he'd freak out instead of being helpful. Maybe she'd find Luna and Ginny.

* * *

"But he's _Lucius Malfoy_."

Hermione was sitting in the courtyard with Ginny and Luna the day after her arithmancy discovery. She wasn't sure how her two friends were going to react, but she needed to talk to someone about it. Luna may see creatures that Hermione didn't think were real, but she had a way of seeing through things that made her a wonderful person to talk to when you needed advice. And Ginny was not one to hold back how she felt. If you wanted absolute honesty, Luna and Ginny were the ones to talk to.

"Are you afraid of him or the mask?" Luna asked.

"The mask? What mask?" Hermione responded, confused. "His Death Eater mask?"

"The mask he wears every day. Everyone wears masks when they're in public. So are you afraid of who he is or who you _think_ he is?"

"Um," Hermione paused. Luna was right, Hermione knew who she was inside wasn't always the person she presented to the world. Everyone but Luna was the same way. Ginny was tough as nails to the world, but Hermione had held her many nights while she cried. "I'm not sure who he is without the mask."

"Maybe you should get to know that side of him before you decide," Luna said with a shrug, as if it really were that simple.

"Hermione," Ginny began. "Lucius has always been vile towards my family, you know that. Hell, he gave me a piece of Riddle's soul when I was eleven. But you know your work is good. If your little numbers—"

"Arithmancy, Gin," Hermione interrupted. "Not little numbers. And you know the equations don't lie. They don't care about feelings or our history, they only follow logic."

Ginny gave her a grin that could only be called a 'Fred and George smirk'. "Thank you for making my point, Mi. Your Arithmancy is telling you that _logically_ Lucius is your match. You should contact him."

She was so confused by the whole situation. She knew the equation was sound and that the calculations that put her and Lucius together were correct. Good Godric, she'd checked it at least ten times the night before. No matter how many times she repeated it, the numbers were the same. She'd told Draco that Arithmancy was logic free from emotion, but she couldn't seem to shut her emotions off.

"But you hate him. How can you encourage me to reach out to someone you hate?"

"I don't _hate_ him." Ginny was quiet for a moment. "After my first year, before we went to Egypt, I saw a mind healer. I have continued to work with her over the years. I forgave Lucius Malfoy a long time ago. Holding on to hate isn't healthy, especially for someone with my temper. It hasn't been easy, but I have let the pain go. The healer and I have worked through my issues with Professor Snape as well. How else would I be able to sit in his class?"

"That's wonderful, Ginny," Hermione told her, squeezing her friend's hand before continuing. "I'm glad you got help, and continue to get help. How did she help you with Snape, if I can ask?"

"By teaching me that two truths can exist at the same time and both of them are valid. One doesn't cancel out the other."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"So last year was shitty, _and_ Snape did the best he could," Ginny said. "I stressed the 'and' because it's important. It allows both of the things to have value. Imagine if I said 'last year was shitty but Snape did the best he could'. That would be me negating how shitty of a year it was because he worked so hard to make it bearable. Instead, I use 'and' because Snape _did_ protect us as much as he could, _and_ we did suffer, and we were tortured.

All these statements are true, and one does not negate the other. By learning that I can have both feelings, it allows me to heal. I can accept the fact that we went through something horrible and I can accept that things would have been worse without Snape."

"I have never thought about that," Hermione said.

"Maybe you should take some time and think about Lucius Malfoy using and instead of but," Luna said, rejoining the conversation. "Ginny told me about it and it really helped me come to terms with my own lived experiences. So see if it helps you."

"And if I decide that I do want to… date? Marry? Lucius Malfoy?"

"Then Luna and I will support you," Ginny said. "Arithmancy doesn't lie, Hermione."

"Ginny is right," Luna added. "We're still your friends and as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Get to know him. The real him and then you'll know what to do."

Hermione thought over their words as they stopped talking and watched the other students milling about. Her mind kept going over what Ginny had learned from her therapist. She tried to think over her life to times when she had used the word 'but' to dismiss something. Her mind focused on her time as a cat in second year. _I brewed Polyjuice potion but I turned into a cat._ Did Ginny's way of thinking change that? _I brewed Polyjuice potion and I turned into a cat_.

It was like a lightbulb went off in her head and she realised Ginny was right. By changing that single word, the way she looked at that incident changed. Instead of 'Yeah, I brewed it, but I turned into a cat so it wasn't successful', her thoughts had changed to 'I brewed the advanced potion correctly and I changed into a cat due to an error that wasn't my potion.'

Lucius Malfoy had been a Death Eater _and_ he was trying to change, according to Draco.

His trying to change didn't undo the fact that he had done horrible things. And being a Death Eater didn't dismiss the fact that he was trying to better himself now. 'Draco had been a prat but he was different now' versus 'Draco had been a prat and he was different now'. Isn't that the way she had already been thinking about him? Being a better person now didn't erase the years of rude comments towards her. Both of those things were still true. He had been a bully. He was a better person. Both things still existed.

"Thanks for talking to me guys," Hermione said eventually, her mind calmer now she had talked with her friends. "This has been really helpful."

"Are you going to write to him?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not sure _and_ I will think about it."

"Learning already." Ginny smiled at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Hermione finally knows that Lucius is perfect for her (the girl is slow, I've known this for years). Next week Lucius will join our little party.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days after they had found out Lucius and Hermione were a perfect match, Draco had written to his father, with her permission, about the Arithmancy equation and asked him to meet them in Hogsmeade over Halloween weekend. According to Draco, his dad was a numbers genius which is why they had so much money and he always knew who to bribe. Lucius had agreed and the three of them met in a private room of a new restaurant that had opened after the war.

Lucius was waiting for them as they walked into the room and he stood, shaking her hand and hugging his son. Hermione tried not to look Lucius over as he and Draco caught up, but she couldn't help it. He was tall and looked like he'd been better at taking care of himself than he had the last time she had seen him. His blond hair was shiny and long and she itched to run her fingers through it and learned the texture. She was still intimidated by him but was trying to keep her conversation with Ginny and Luna in her mind. Shaking her head, she turned back into the conversation.

Draco explained a little bit about their Arithmancy equation and Lucius listened with rapt attention.

They had tweaked the equation so you could run it for one person and it would give you the information that you needed from your match. Even though they didn't need it for Hermione, they didn't know who Draco's match would be. By adjusting it, they could run the calculation on multiple people, then compare them to see who matched who. Draco was irritated he didn't know who he should date and hadn't stopped complaining about it.

They explained what the equation did, but instead of telling Lucius their findings, they had allowed him to run his own information. Once he was complete, they handed him Hermione's chart and he quickly looked it over before his eyes grew big as he compared the two charts side by side.

"I assume that because you invited me here, you know who balances this equation," Lucius stated, looking between them. "Who is she?"

"How do you know it's a she?" Draco teased. "You could have been paired with a man. You and Severus have always been close."

Lucius gave Draco a death glare before Hermione elbowed him. "Don't be rude, Draco."

"What aren't you two saying?" Lucius asked. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Well," Hermione began before stopping to clear her throat. "Your match is Muggleborn so we thought—" She cut off at Draco's huff of annoyance. "Okay, I thought, that it would be best to get your views on Muggleborns out of the way before we tell you."

"Ah," Lucius replied. "You want to make sure I'm not going to murder her in her sleep after I find out?"

"I just want to make sure she'll be safe."

"I only plan on telling you both this once, so listen closely," Lucius began. "I was a Death Eater. I joined by choice when I was young. I was sixteen but I agreed with the ideas and followed the Dark Lord willingly. I have tortured countless Muggles for sport, killed more than my fair share of people, and talked my way out of punishment almost every time. The one time I didn't was when I was sent to Azkaban after our encounter at the Ministry.

"Prison was not a place I ever wanted to go, and I will do anything to never return to that place. The Dementors changed me over that year. They take away all your happy memories and leave you with only your worst ones. I spent a year without being able to picture Draco's smiling face, without my memories of playing Quidditch, without remembering what it was like to feel the sun on my face.

"The only things I could remember were the sounds of people screaming as I put them under round after round of the Cruciatus Curse; the look of light leaving my victim's eyes as the life left their bodies; Draco's looks of disappointment when I ignored him or told him he wasn't living up to my impossible expectations.

"I left that hellhole and instead of coming home to my wife — who even if I wasn't in love with her, she was my closest friend — and my happy son, I came home to a place even more depressing than Azkaban. The Dark Lord and my crazy sister-in-law had taken over in my absence and stripped my home of everything beautiful, leaving nothing but darkness behind. The Dark Lord took my wand, added restraints so I couldn't perform wandless magic, and hardly let me leave my own home.

"I watched person after person tortured or slaughtered in my drawing room, yourself included Miss Granger. Prisoners were held captive in my cellar and I wasn't even allowed to send my own house-elves down to make sure they were fed. It was during that time that I realised that the reasons for joining the Death Eaters were no longer important to me. I don't care who someone's parents are. I don't care if you have five thousand years of magical ancestry or you are the first one.

"I have spent the last four months learning all about Muggles and Muggleborns in my Ministry class and have learned how wrong my thinking was. I was indoctrinated as a child, the same way Narcissa and I indoctrinated Draco. It's not an excuse for my behaviour; I was old enough that I could have researched and learned for myself. I chose not to. Luckily Draco is a better man than I was. He was questioning us before I was sent to Azkaban. Unfortunately for him, he was not given the option to join the Dark Lord or not, Bellatrix saw to that.

"We have both been given a second chance at life and I plan on taking advantage of that. I have been to a mind healer to help me work through my poisonous way of thinking. The freedom of myself and my son is far more important to me than the circumstances of someone's birth. If my match is Muggleborn, I will accept her."

Hermione and Draco stared at Lucius as he finished. It was clear from Draco's face that he had never seen his father be this honest about anything in his life. She pretended not to notice the tears that ran down his face and averted her eyes as the father and son embraced and comforted each other.

To say she was in shock at his admission would be an understatement. She'd expected him to reject the idea that a Muggleborn was a good match for him straight off. Never in her life would she have expected him to be so open about his role in the Death Eaters. She'd expected him to gloss over what he'd done, why he'd joined Voldemort. His honesty was more than she could have ever hoped for. And even though the things he said had disgusted her, she could appreciate that he was willing to own up to them. And according to him, this change hadn't been overnight. He had been slowly changing his mind since her sixth year.

Growing up, one of her neighbours had a son that was an alcoholic and no matter how much his parents had tried to help him, he never stopped drinking. It wasn't until he was in a bad accident on his way home from the pub and almost killed a child that he'd finally put the bottle down and gotten help. Hermione could remember his mum talking to hers and saying that everyone had a rock bottom and sometimes it took hitting it to make them realise they needed to make a change.

It sounded like Azkaban had been rock bottom for Lucius. And he'd changed, according to him. He'd not only talked about how he knew he had to change his way of thinking, he'd also been to a mind healer to help him. That didn't sound like a man who hadn't evolved into a better person.

"It's Hermione," Draco said as he stepped out of his father's arms. "Your match. It's Hermione."

Lucius' eyes snapped from Draco's to hers. Hermione just shrugged before nodding, not sure what to say. She didn't know what Lucius was looking for, but his eyes bored into hers.

"That's why you wanted to meet?" Lucius finally asked.

"We thought you had a right to know," Draco answered. "The right to decide if you want to pursue a relationship with each other."

"I was thinking maybe we could build a friendship," Hermione said, a little unnerved that Lucius hadn't broken eye contact with her yet. "Obviously I'm still in school and I'm still in shock over the findings, even though I've known for a couple of days."

"I would be open to getting to know you better, Miss Granger. I think we could start with corresponding while you finish your education. And maybe we can meet like this when you have Hogsmeade's weekends."

"I think that sounds wonderful, Mr Malfoy."

* * *

Lucius landed back in Malfoy Manor after his meeting with Draco and Miss Granger and made his way into his study. Walking to the bookshelf that sat behind his desk, he pressed his finger against the hidden button and stepped back as the bookshelf swung open. Making his way through the doorway, he took the long moving set of stairs down to the lower basement where his good wine and spirits were kept. He kept expensive magically produced alcohol in his study, but today called for Muggle whisky.

No matter how advanced the wizarding world was on somethings, they had nothing on Muggle alcohol.

He walked past the racks of wine from all over the world until he came to the alcoves that lined the back walls. Each one containing bottles of some of the world's most expensive bottles of whisky. He looked at the rack in front of him and fingered one of the bottles he'd purchased the month before. Maybe spending over a hundred and fifty thousand pounds on one bottle was extreme, but Merlin did it taste divine. Grabbing one of the fifty year old Macallan bottles from the next rack over, he made his way back towards the stairs.

They started to move upwards, carrying him back towards his study as his mind began to race. Pushing his thoughts aside, he walked over to his wet bar and picked up a small rock. Sending a freezing charm at it, he sat it in the bottom of his glass and poured two fingers of the amber liquid in the tumbler. The bouquet of the drink filled his nose and he breathed it in.

Sitting at his desk, he pulled out the parchment from lunch. He had excelled at Arithmancy from the first time he learned it from his private tutors before Hogwarts. The equation before him, created by his son and Miss Granger, was impressive. He had been shocked that they had made it as a joke. A silly little school project. It was at least on par with things he had seen at the Ministry, if not better.

Taking a sip of his whisky, he allowed it to sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. What should he do about the information before him? Grabbing a blank sheet of parchment, he ran his information and Miss Granger's together, double checking his work from earlier. When it balanced to seven rows of seven, he tried it again. He tossed his quill onto the desk and sighed.

He wasn't running the equation over and over again because he was looking for a mistake, he was doing it because he didn't know what to think.

According to the Arithmancy — which he trusted in a way he would never trust people — he and Miss Granger were a perfect match. One that would create powerful children. But is that what he wanted? He and Narcissa had been married for twenty years and he'd been happy with their one child. And just because they were perfect for each other didn't mean he had to run out and marry her and have lots of sex and babies.

Not that he was opposed to the lots of sex part.

Lucius let his mind wander as he thought about what to do. Clearly, Draco was okay with him moving on from Narcissa and building something with his school mate. He'd been the one to set up the meeting after all. He and his son had spent many hours talking about their life goals before Draco returned to school. Moving on and possibly starting to grow their family had come up and Draco had encouraged him to get out there and date again.

Thoughts of Narcissa, his best friend and wife of the last two decades, ran through his head. If Draco had been encouraging, it was nothing to what he knew Narcissa would tell him. Divorce was never an option for them, but she had always implored him to be happy, to follow his heart and his magic.

And then there was Severus. His closest friend and the surliest bastard to ever live. Yet, he adored Miss Granger. Never had Lucius seen his friend taking a liking to anyone the way he did the little Gryffindor. Not even Lily. Severus may have been in love with Potter's mother but she had never fully accepted who he was. But from all accounts he'd heard of Hermione from Severus, their friendship had an ease that he'd never had with Lily. He wasn't hidden away like a dirty secret. Severus complained more than once that Hermione was happy to tell the entire world that they were friends and anyone who didn't like it could bugger off.

He'd never looked at Miss Granger as anything more than the upstart Mudblood that outscored Draco in all his classes until he'd seen her at the Ministry when he went to retrieve the prophecy. And then, she'd just been Potter's annoying sidekick. When he thought of her again, it was when she had been brought to his home during the war. She had been beyond skinny, ragged, and yet so strong as she resisted his sister-in-law.

He wasn't proud of how he'd acted that day. He had been desperate to save himself and his family from the wrath of Voldemort. He had known if they didn't act right away, Potter would find a way to escape. As much as he already knew that the Dark Lord was on the wrong side, he had acted out of fear. At that moment, he didn't care who died if his wife and son survived. He hadn't liked watching Hermione be tortured, but he had blocked her screams and focused on making sure his family lived through the war.

But now, that skinny little witch had transformed.

Like a phoenix, she had risen from the ashes of war and become a beautiful woman.

He'd seen her at his trial and she had looked like she'd had a few good meals, and the pictures of her in the papers had shown she'd gained her weight back and no longer looked sickly. It was nothing to how she looked in person though. Gone were the buck teeth and bushy hair he'd seen her with when he first met her. Instead, she had tamed her curls, clearly fixed her teeth, and carried herself with all the confidence of a woman who knew she was strong.

He tried to look at her objectively, putting their past behind them and imagining meeting her for the first time. If he had seen her at a Ministry event, he would have approached her. He knew he would try everything he could to get her to go home with him or at least let him take her on a date. Taking another sip of his drink he decided he'd wait another day or two then send her a letter. No harm could come from getting to know her better. If she really was perfect for him, he needed to make sure their relationship could grow before someone came in and tried to date her.

She was the best for him, and Lucius always got the best.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Lucius appears!


	5. Love Letters

Hermione was surprised when an owl with a letter on its leg landed on the breakfast table in front of her. It wasn't Harry's new owl, or the Weasley's. Taking the letter, she handed it a piece of bacon before hopping closer to her. It seemed to study her before nodding and taking off, it's wings brushing against her hair. What a strange little bird. She didn't recognise the neat handwriting that had written her name and turned the letter over. The green wax seal was stamped with the same crest she'd seen on Draco's signet ring. Interested to see what Lucius had to say to her but not wanting anyone around her to read over her shoulder, she stood from the table and made her way to a small alcove on the first floor.

> Miss Granger,
> 
> I hope you are doing well this morning. I must admit that I am still a little shocked over the information you and my son conveyed to me two days ago. I have to be honest with you and tell you that the idea of someone my son's age being a good match for me is a little strange.
> 
> Draco assures me that you did a lot of the work on creating the equation and I have to tell you that I am impressed with your work in Arithmancy. I have gone over the calculations multiple times though and I don't see how they could be wrong. It is a hobby of mine and I am always pleased to meet someone whose skill is at my level. Have you given any thought to continuing in this field after you leave Hogwarts?
> 
> I feel as if I opened up to you on Saturday, yet I still do not know anything about you except what I have read in the papers. And what Draco has told me about you over the years. It is my hope that you will tell me more about yourself as we correspond.
> 
> I am not sure if you have your own owl or not. My owls are particular about letting strange birds into the Manor, so if you don't please let me know and I will acquire one for you, or ask Draco if you can use his. I wouldn't want a school owl being attacked when it can easily be avoided.
> 
> Looking forward to getting to know you,
> 
> Lucius Malfoy

Reading over the letter a few times, Hermione was once again taken aback by how open he seemed to be. The wording was formal, as she expected, but he'd shared his feelings and asked to get to know her better. She was still hesitant, but she was trying to take Ginny and Luna's advice and get to know him. She tried to think of the advice she'd read about in the trashy magazines her mum had bought for her the summer she was sixteen. Play it cool and don't seem too eager seemed to be the general idea of the articles. Should she wait a day or two? Deciding to stop being silly and to just be herself, she figured she had time so she'd reply right away. Pulling out a quill and some parchment, she started to reply to his letter before she needed to get to her first class of the day.

> Mr Malfoy,
> 
> Thank you for your letter this morning. I have to admit that even though I have known about the results of the equation for a few days longer than you have, I am still surprised by the findings as well. Draco and I created it as a joke and this was not what I had been expecting to become of it.
> 
> I was surprised with how honest you were during our meeting on Saturday and I can't tell you how pleased I am to know that you have been making changes to better yourself. I know you took the Ministry classes on Muggles, but please know that I am happy to answer any additional questions you might have. Even after I started attending Hogwarts, I always made sure that I didn't lose touch with my upbringing and have stayed up to date on as much as possible in that world.
> 
> I was born and raised in London as an only child and my parents were dentists and owned a very successful surgery. Hopefully, with your classes these terms make sense, but if not, I will happily explain them to you. I attended Muggle school until I was invited to attend Hogwarts. When I am not in school, I live with Harry Potter at his home in London. He is like a little brother to me, no matter what the press likes to write about our relationship.
> 
> I have not decided what I will do when I leave Hogwarts. My original plan had been to go into creature rights as that is my passion, but I have also thought about Charms and Arithmancy. I am taking seven N.E.W.T. classes, so I'm sure I will find something. Severus has offered to give me advice when I am ready and I'm sure I'll take him up on his offer.
> 
> I have Ancient Runes in a few minutes so I will end the letter now. I don't have an owl but I will ask Draco to borrow his. I know he doesn't correspond with people outside the castle very often so I don't think it will be a problem. If it is, I can purchase my own owl if needed. Hopefully, when I hear from you again you will tell me more about yourself as well.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Hermione Granger

It felt formal and almost cold, but she didn't know him well enough to add anything more. She'd refrained from telling him what had happened to her parents because it was still painful to talk about and whilst she wanted to get to know him better, she didn't know him well enough to open up yet. She didn't have any wax with her, and she needed to ask to borrow Draco's owl in any case. Casting a charm to make sure it wouldn't get crushed, she slipped it into her bag.

Three days after she sent her letter to Lucius, his owl appeared at the breakfast table again. Hermione pulled the parchment from its leg. After the owl took her offered bacon it looked at her again before hopping forward, this time getting right into her face before flying away. She made a mental note to ask Draco what was up with his father's owl. Gathering her things, she made her way out of the Great Hall and to the hidden alcove to read it.

> Miss Granger,
> 
> I am aware of what dentists and surgery are, even if I find the idea of both of them barbaric. I am so used to magic or potion being able to fix most things that the idea of cutting a person open, or forcibly pulling their tooth from their jaw, is horrifying. I don't say this to discount the work your parents do, just explaining how it looks from someone not raised in that world.
> 
> I assume there are things in our world that you probably had to adjust your thinking about when you entered. I can't imagine how confusing it would have been at eleven to enter into a new way of life. Now that I have taken classes to learn more about Muggles I think I can have some empathy for Muggleborns. The Ministry really ought to contact the families before Hogwarts age. Merlin knows that book at Hogwarts records children as soon as they are born. It would be quite simple. Maybe you can use your celebrity status and champion the rights for Muggleborns. I'm sure you have experience with accidental magic and parents who had no idea how to deal with it.
> 
> Severus is a great resource for career advice. He has a way of seeing what people will be good at long before they see it in themselves. I'm not sure if it's his Legilimency skills or if it's because he's been a head of house for so long. I must confess I was surprised to find that the two of you were friends. How did that happen? I have known him since he was a first year and I know it is not easy to win his friendship.
> 
> You asked for a little bit about me. You already know about where and how I was raised. My favourite classes at Hogwarts were Charms and Arithmancy. I played on the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser and was Head Boy my final year. My favourite colour is green, but I'm still unsure if that's because it's the colour of the House of Malfoy or if it's because I look well in it. Maybe a bit of both. I raise white peafowl that are stunning and have the added benefit of hating Severus.
> 
> Outside of increasing the Malfoy fortune my favourite pastime is travelling. I have property all over the world that I like to visit and once a year I try to go to a place I've never been to before. Maybe you can give me a few ideas on places to go.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing from you again,
> 
> Lucius Malfoy

Hermione smiled as she read over Lucius' letter to her. Severus was going to be livid when he found out Lucius had told her the peafowl hated him. She could do the nice thing and not mention it to her friend, but what was the fun in that? Teasing him was one of her favourite pastimes. Glancing at her watch, she swore. There wasn't enough time to respond before she had to be in her next class. She was a little surprised at how much she already enjoyed receiving his correspondence.

> Mr Malfoy,
> 
> I like your idea of talking to Muggleborn children before they enter Hogwarts. I personally wish my parents would have been contacted when I had my first big bout of accidental magic at five. It terrified my mother when I changed all the dolls I had been given for Christmas into Legos (toy blocks you build things with). Not as terrified as I was at receiving dolls that looked like they would come to life and murder me in my sleep though.
> 
> I will admit it was overwhelming coming into our world when I had always believed magic was pretend and not real. Luckily it was Professor McGonagall who delivered my Hogwarts letter and she spent a lot of time explaining things to me and my parents. She also returned that weekend to accompany us to Diagon Alley and helped me find books that eased my way. Poor Harry was visited by Hagrid who just kind of bought him everything on his school list and dumped him back at home.
> 
> There is also the fact that even as children Muggleborns have magic in their veins so knowing about St Mungo's would be helpful. I broke my arm when I was eight and if we'd known about magic, I could have had my arm mended in minutes instead of wearing a cast for the entire summer. I love to swim and having to go in the water with only one working arm that was wrapped in plastic was not enjoyable.
> 
> I don't play Quidditch (I can fly, but I'm not a fan of it) but I do like watching the games. I'll admit I'm not as knowledgeable as someone who plays, but I've never missed a Gryffindor match. Ginny Weasley is the captain of Gryffindor and I think she'll go on to play professionally. I was sad to hear the World Cup was cancelled this year, but I plan on attending the next one if I can. That level of play is so exciting.
> 
> I don't have a favourite colour. I just can't pick one when they are all so pretty. I tend to dress in more blues and reds when I'm not in uniform but that's because I look nice in them. And I support Arsenal Football Club and their colours are red, blue, and gold. It's not as intense as Quidditch, but maybe we can take in a match sometime? I know Severus supports Manchester United (because he has poor taste) so maybe he and I can teach you the sport. If he declines, we can set the peafowl on him.
> 
> I think now that we are trying to be friends you can address your letters to my given name. The only people who call me Miss Granger are my professors.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Hermione

* * *

Lucius read the letter from Miss Granger, or Hermione as she had been asked to call him, and smiled at the ease in which she talked to him. This message seemed less formal than the first one and he hoped that they would continue to become friends. Or even more. He wasn't a stupid man and he'd looked over the equation she and Draco had given him multiple times since Halloween. Hermione was perfect for him. He would be a fool not to pursue her romantically.

Not that he had much experience in trying to secure a woman for anything more than one night. His and Narcissa's fathers had done all the paperwork for their marriage and the only thing Lucius had to do to win her was to sign his name at the bottom. Pureblood marriages didn't need to have love or even respect. They just needed to have an heir produced. They were about power, not feelings.

But he wanted more than that. He'd loved Narcissa as his best friend but he'd always been secretly jealous of his sister-in-law Andromeda who'd married for love. A love so deep she gave up her entire family. Wasn't that what love should be? Something so powerful you'd risk everything just to be with that person?

The Arithmancy his son and Hermione had created wouldn't produce love, nothing could do that, but it did show him how right they were for each other. And Arithmancy was never wrong as long as it was completed correctly. If they were perfect for each other, he had to believe that it would work out between them. If he wanted to find love and a companion he had to be willing to set aside his Slytherin tendency to hide his emotions and show Hermione who he _really_ was. Not the calculated man who always got what he wanted, but the relaxed, hopefully charming, smart man he was when he was with the only two people he trusted completely — Draco and Severus.

Last time he had responded to her right away but then held on to her reply for three days so he didn't seem eager. Knowing that he had to stop playing the game, he picked up his quill to respond to her now. He'd hold it until the next day, but no longer than that.

As soon as he sent his owl, Seraphina, off with the letter the next day, he realised he was already looking forward to hearing from her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the two of them getting to know each other via post so I hope you enjoyed it as well!


	6. More Love Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad everyone loved the letters because here is the second batch of them!!!

Hermione looked from the letter to the small box that had come with it. It looked like the kind of box her dad had given her mum when he bought her a tennis bracelet. She and Lucius were just starting to get to know each other and she wasn't sure she felt comfortable that he was already sending her a gift. Setting the box down, she decided to read the letter first. Maybe he'd explain himself.

> Hermione,
> 
> Thank you for granting me the use of your given name and know that the same goes for you. I should warn you that I am not a fan of nicknames. My name is Lucius and not any other horrid version of it people like to think up. When I was a second year a girl decided to call me Luci. I hexed her lips closed and it took the Matron two days to straighten her out. I still have the lash marks on my arse for it and have no regrets.
> 
> I've charmed the box so all it needs is a _Finite_ to restore it to full size. Hopefully, you'll find what's enclosed helpful in your next lesson with Severus.
> 
> I'm thankful Professor McGonagall was so helpful to you and your family when you found out about our world. Hearing about Harry makes me feel bad for the man. I was on the Board at the time and I can only assume Dumbledore went around the rules that were in place. The by-laws only allow the Deputy Head or Heads of House to visit Muggleborn or Muggle raised children. I know you're friends with Hagrid, but he really isn't the sort that should be sent to Muggle homes. I'm sure he would have terrified your parents.
> 
> Severus has been trying to get me to a football match since we were young but I've always refused him. He looks ghastly in Gryffindor colours and I refuse to go anywhere near that part of the country. Every strange person I've met has been from the Northwest. If Arsenal is in London, I am more agreeable to attending. I'm not wearing one of those shirts though.
> 
> Draco has told me, grudgingly of course, that Miss Weasley is a talented Chaser. I watched her twin brothers play Beater when I was on the Board and I have to admit I was surprised they went into the joke business instead of pursuing Quidditch. I've never seen two Beaters work as well as they did. They seem to have made the correct choice though. They were one of the only shops that made money during the war.
> 
> Tell me about your time at Hogwarts. What was the stupidest thing you ever did? And the riskiest? Did you ever sneak out to kiss boys in the hidden alcoves or take one into the Prefect's bathroom late at night? Or perhaps a girl, I don't judge. I know some of the things that Draco has told me, like you sneaking an infant dragon out of the castle, but I'm not sure I believe him. You seem too rule-abiding for that.
> 
> I look forward to learning all about the deviant you used to be,
> 
> Lucius

Hermione smiled as she read through the letter. She wasn't sure Lucius _really_ wanted to know what she'd gotten up to. Idly she wondered if Draco had ever told him she punched him. Picking up the box, she cast the _Finite_ on it. Once the box reached full size, she pulled the lid off and couldn't hold back her laughter. Lucius had sent her a white peacock quill. Oh, she was going to have a fun time using this in Professor Snape's class.

> Lucius,
> 
> Thank you for the quill. Severus glared at me the entire lesson then held me back to let me know that I wasn't allowed to use it again and (this is a direct quote) "Lucius is a fucking wanker." You've made my week!
> 
> You asked a lot of hard questions in that letter and I'm not sure you're ready to hear all about the things I got up to during my younger years. You were still on the Board for a few of them and I shudder to think what you would have done if I'd been caught.
> 
> To answer your questions. Yes, I did help sneak Norbert (which we later found out was actually Norberta) a Norwegian Ridgeback out of the castle in my first year. Hagrid had won the egg in a card game and we convinced him that the dragon was better off in Romania. We had Charlie Weasley arrange some of his friends to pick it up. We lost a lot of house points and had to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest, but that's better than having a dragon on Hogwarts grounds.
> 
> The stupidest thing I ever did? Probably stealing potion ingredients from Professor Snape's private stores during the middle of class. I knew that if I was caught he'd probably flog me until I bled. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time though. I was a second year, so I was a bit dramatic.
> 
> I'm sure you know some of the riskier things I did like helping Harry get past all the enchantments protecting the Philosopher's Stone or helping to form Dumbledore's Army since they were in the papers so I'll tell you something no one but Harry knows. In my first year, I set fire to Severus' robes at a Quidditch match. Ron and I thought he was jinxing Harry's broom and it was the first thing I could think of.
> 
> My favourite memory of this place is the time I punched your son in the face and broke his nose. Draco may have grown up to be a good friend, but he was a little shit when we were younger and I don't regret my actions at all.
> 
> As for sneaking out and kissing boys (no girls for me). Viktor Krum and I snogged around the castle but only a few times. He was preparing for his final exams and the Triwizard Tournament and I was, as always, focused on keeping Harry alive. Never took anyone in the Prefects bathroom though. To be honest, when I am at school I try to keep my focus on my education. And besides Viktor, the boys here never seemed to notice I was a girl.
> 
> What about you, Lucius? What kind of trouble did you get up to at Hogwarts?
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Hermione

* * *

Lucius laughed as he read Hermione's honesty about punching Draco. She wasn't wrong, Draco had been a little shit. Especially in his third year. Not that he did anything to make his son a better person. Looking back now he could see how much he'd spoiled his son. But he and Narcissa had tried for so long to have him that it was hard to say no to him.

> Hermione,
> 
> It goes against my nature to be this open, but I must confess that your letters are the highlight of my day. Every time I see Draco's owl at my window, I smile. Good thing I'm here alone or I would scare people. I'm not sure I've smiled this much since I was at Hogwarts. Draco did tell me about you punching him. At the time I was upset but now I find myself picturing it and laughing.
> 
> Does Severus know that you lit him on fire? You're still alive so I assume not. And I was shocked to read that you actually snuck into his personal storeroom while class was in session to steal from him. I've never met someone as fearless as you are. And to think that I was convinced riding a dragon out of Gringotts was the most impressive thing you'd done. If you haven't told him, please wait to do so when I'm around so I can see his face.
> 
> What did you need the ingredients for? I thought everything covered in the texts, including N.E.W.T. level potions were in the student store cupboard.
> 
> I was a model student when I was at Hogwarts. Or at least that's what the professors thought. A good Slytherin never gets caught. I didn't do anything too wild like you. I think the craziest thing I did was sneak a Hufflepuff girl into my dorm room one night in my seventh year. In my defence, she was very pretty.
> 
> I feel like we went to two very different Hogwarts. When I was there the Dark Lord was just starting to gain followers so we weren't forced to fight for our lives or grow up faster than normal. It was the way it should have been for you. Hopefully, children attending Hogwarts going forward won't have to deal with the stress your generation did.
> 
> Tell me, what are your plans for the Christmas holidays? I hope you'll have some time to come and visit me. I have remodelled the manor and I think you will like the changes I've made. I'm not sure what your Christmas plans are, but maybe we could meet on Boxing Day? I regret that my property has long been warded against Muggles so your family would not be able to come, but Harry and anyone else you'd like to invite is welcome.
> 
> Yours,
> 
> Lucius

* * *

Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest as she read his letter. He wanted her to come and visit him over Christmas? Their letters had been getting more personal but she didn't think he would want to actually see her. Thinking about it, she wanted to see him too. Each letter he sent her, she started to like him more and more.

And he'd signed the letter 'Yours.' Did that mean he was thinking about her as more than just a pen friend? She'd thought of him often and some nights imagined what it would be like to be more than friends with him. Merlin knew the man had starred in more than one of her nighttime fantasies over the years. He'd been a horrible person but a sexy one. As much as she had tried to tell her body that he was a Death Eater and being attracted to him wasn't okay, it didn't stop the dreams or her waking up wet and wanting over the years.

Now that he had changed, she wanted him even more.

> Lucius,
> 
> A Hufflepuff? Does your son know you took a Puff to your bed? He might die of shock. I think it makes sense. I think all Slytherins need an emotional support Hufflepuff to help them get through the rough days.
> 
> Our school years were very different and I also hope that the next generation of children entering will have an experience more like the one you had than I did. I had a lot of fun in my younger years, but it was a lot of stress too. Luckily, the war is behind us and people such as yourself are making the changes needed to ensure we don't fall back into old habits again.
> 
> I am going to spend Christmas with Harry in London. We will be at the Burrow for an Order of the Phoenix party on Christmas Eve then Christmas will be spent with the Weasleys. I don't have plans for Boxing Day and would love to see you. My last memories of your home are not good ones and I look forward to replacing them with better ones. I used to go look at old homes with my mum when I was younger so I hope you realise that I'm going to expect the grand tour.
> 
> Unlike other years, I am looking forward to this term ending and spending a couple of weeks away from the castle. I'm especially looking forward to seeing you.
> 
> Love,
> 
> Hermione

* * *

_Love?_ She'd signed her letter 'love'? Lucius traced his finger over the word and grinned. He knew she probably did it out of habit. All young girls signed letters to their friends that way but it still warmed his heart. Each letter from her made him want her more and more. Deciding to take a risk, he picked up his quill.

> Hermione,
> 
> I am very much looking forward to seeing you as well. Maybe when you are home we can go out to dinner as well. I would love to see if we are able to converse and get to know each other as well in person as we do through parchment. There is a wonderful little restaurant in the village near the manor that I think you'd like.
> 
> I am travelling to Paris tomorrow morning for the next few days. Is there anything from there that you'd like me to pick up for you? I know you can order by owl, but I'm happy to do it for you. It's been a while since I've been there and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Of all the places I've travelled, it is the one I return to most often.
> 
> Yours,
> 
> Lucius

* * *

Hermione glanced at her calendar. If only it was next week and she was already home from Hogwarts for the holiday. Then she could ask him to take her with him. Her nightly fantasies of Lucius had returned with a vengeance and with each letter, they became racier until she was falling asleep after coming with his name on her lips. She wasn't ready to move their relationship from friendship to sex, but a few kisses and touching might be okay. And what could be more romantic than kissing in Paris at Christmas time? Pushing her fantasy to the side to think on later, she hurried to answer his letter before he left.

> Lucius,
> 
> I'm jealous that you will be in Paris. It is one of my favourite places to go and no matter how many times I've been, I always want to go back. I've yet to go to the magical side of the city yet. Maybe someday you can take me and show me the sights?
> 
> I don't need anything from the city but I hope you have a wonderful time. I will miss our daily letters. I'm guessing by the time you're back I will be home for the holidays. Since Draco and his owl will be at the Manor, I won't risk sending Harry's.
> 
> Be safe and I look forward to seeing you on Boxing Day.
> 
> Love,
> 
> Hermione

Hoping she wasn't too forward, she sealed her letter and started to make her way to the Owlery.

She was shocked when she received another letter from Lucius two days later as she was getting packed to go to Grimmauld Place. She hadn't expected to hear from him again until after she had arrived in London. Her stomach seemed to swoop as she looked at her name on the outside of the scroll. Somehow over the last two months, she'd developed a crush on Lucius as they corresponded. Not just fantasy like she'd had before, but feelings and anticipating when she'd see him again. Pushing her crush aside, she opened his latest letter.

> Hermione,
> 
> I hope this finds you. I told Serafina you're still at school, but sometimes she doesn't listen. I am home from Paris and I don't think I am going back into the Muggle side of that city ever again. Or if I do, I am still using magical transportation. I have visited the Magical enclaves a few times a year since I was a small boy and love it. I had gone over to pick up a few Christmas presents and thought that since I was in a different country, I could go into the Muggle world and try something new without risk of running into someone I knew and making a fool of myself.
> 
> I decided that I would try the Métro. It was easy enough to understand how to navigate the train system, but I refuse to do it ever again. They were unbelievably filthy. And I am not talking about filthy by my standards, which are undoubtedly higher than most people's. Even a Knockturn Alley whore would have turned her nose up at them. Not that I have experience with such women, it is just an expression, my dear.
> 
> As I was waiting for a train at the École Militaire station, a man walked up behind where I was standing near the wall. I shifted away from him because he stood closer to me than I was comfortable with since pickpocketing is common on the Muggle side. He wasn't facing the tracks, but the wall. I heard the sound of water splashing behind me and turned to see if the ceiling was leaking only to find that the man was relieving his bladder next to me! In public.
> 
> There were people all around, and this man felt that the wall was the appropriate place to use the bathroom. I have never been so disgusted by a lack of manners in my life. And this was not a young man. He had to have been around my own age.
> 
> Please tell me the London Underground is not so bad. I shudder to think that you have ridden on something so filthy.
> 
> I am very much looking forward to seeing you on Boxing Day. More than I'd admit to anyone if I'm honest with you. I enjoy corresponding with you and am hopeful we will be just as at ease with each other in person. Severus has told me you will be travelling back to London through his Floo connection. I'm glad you won't have to suffer a long day on the train.
> 
> Yours,
> 
> Lucius

Hermione read through the letter again and had to clutch her stomach as she laughed over the image of Lucius on the Paris Metro. She'd had a similar experience when she'd visited with her parents years ago and had been shocked as well. Her mum had just shrugged and told her that it was Paris and that was why all Metro stations had gutters between the wall and the platforms. She was proud of Lucius for trying something new, even if it had been a bad experience. It showed her more than anything that he was trying to be a different person. And she didn't blame him for wanting to stick to magical transportation. It was faster and no chance of strangers urinating nearby.

> Lucius,
> 
> I don't think I have ever enjoyed reading a letter as much as I enjoyed your last one. I hope you don't mind but I shared your story of Paris with Draco. Your poor son had to absent himself from the room because he thought he was going to wet his trousers.
> 
> I promise you that the Tube is nowhere near as bad as the Metro. I'm not sure what the difference is, but it is horrifying there. I am looking forward to visiting Paris one day and not needing to use it to get around.
> 
> I am very much looking forward to seeing you and also hope we are as comfortable with each other in person. Draco has assured me that… well, I won't go into his crass details… but needless to say he doesn't think we'll have a problem when we're together again. He seems to think that you writing to me so often is a good thing and that you must consider me a friend.
> 
> I leave for London in the morning and I am sure I'll be busy for the next few days until I see you at the Manor.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing you again,
> 
> Hermione

As she rolled up the parchment and went to seal it, she hoped Lucius wouldn't be too cross with her for sharing his story about Paris with Draco. She knew he was the one person Lucius trusted most in the world, but now that she thought about it, she probably should have asked his permission before telling Draco. Dipping her quill back into her inkwell, she added a postscript telling him that this was the first of any of his letters she had ever shared with anyone.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is interested, the story of Lucius on the Metro is from my own life. And it happened more than once LOL

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Let me know in a comment.
> 
> All the love and thanks to TakingFlight48 for coming in last second and alpha reading this.  
> 


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